Dan (Hinduism)

Dān is the Hindi term for Charity. In Hindu philosophy, dān is one of the four supports which hold up dharma.

What is not Dāna

People often confuse dāna with dakshina. Dakshina is a type of honorarium for services. There is no punya associated with dakshina.

Sankalp – promise to give

The act of generosity / donation / dāna starts with the sankalp, the intention to give.

What happens if one intends to donate then backs out? One can end up in a hell for people who lie or cheat in matters related to generosity.

Benefits of dān

What does the donor get out of making a dān? Agni Purana provides a rendering of the general sankalp for dān. This sankalp tells us what the donor expects out of a dān. These are:

1. Pleasure of Shree Vishnu
2. Urge to sin may die down
3. Increase in life, health, luck, gotra (clan), and children
4. Getting victory, dharm , aishwarya (grace), and desires
5. Extinguishment of sins
6. Release from the material world, and,
7. Getting knowledge and prestige

Such a dān is also known as naimittik, that is, one made with a purpose . According to Agni Purana, the benefits from such a dān vary according to the recipient. Giving dān to a sinner is fruitless. For others, the following chart shows the progression of benefits:

1. Varn-sankar (born of mixed marriage): Two times
2. Shudra (fourth varna): Four times
3. Vaishya or Kshatriya: Eight times
4. Nominal Brahmin: Sixteen times
5. Brahmin who studies the Ved: 100 times
6. Purohit or yaajak Brahmin: Inexhaustible
7. Acharya who can explain the meaning of Ved: Infinite
8. Poor Brahmin: Infinite
9. Yagnakarta Brahmin: Infinite

While dān to non-brahmins is not prohibited, it does not seem to be as good an investment as one made to a learned Brahmin, who knows the Ved.

In keeping with this general trend, Agni Puran is very critical of the Brahmin who is devoid of tap and study of ved, but is always interested in getting dān. Such a Brahmin sinks with the dān like a person on a boat made of stone ! Various smritis also emphasise this point again and again . Atrismriti goes even further: if such Brahmins are getting alms from a particular village, then the king should punish the villagers, as if they were feeding thieves !

Naimittik dān, as described in Agni Puran, is classified as rajasik in Shreemadbhagwad Geeta. What does this mean?

Classification of dān

According to Shreemadbhagwad Geeta, all dān can be classified into three categories:

1. Sattvik (pure, non-materialistic) 2. Rajasik (royal, materialistic) 3. Tamasik (dark, negative force)

Sattvik dān is one that is made as a duty. It should be made after considering the time, place and the suitability of the receiver. The receiver should not perform any service or provide any benefit in return . Swami Ramsukhdas explains that this kind of dān is really tyāg, relinquishment, in which nothing is desired in return. This type of dān is not the kind that gives punya, merit in return . Seeking such punya will transform the dān into rajasik.

Rajasik dān is made for getting some direct or indirect benefit (whether material or spiritual) in return. The parting (of property) causes pain or regret to the donor. Or the dān is given after some persuasion (as in a collection or chanda). Rajasik dān gives whatever benefits are sought by the donor.

When dān is made to an unsuitable person or without considering time or place, then it is called tamasik dān. If the dān is made without showing proper respect or in an insulting manner, then also it becomes tamasik.

It appears, therefore, that Shreemadbhagwad Geeta encourages Sattvik dān. However, this conclusion would probably vary from one person to another, depending on which gun (attribute) is dominating the person at that time (sattvik, rajasik, tamasik).

How much?

How much should one give? According to Skand Puran, one should use 10% of one's justly earned income on good deeds or works of public benefit.

According to Shreemad bhagvat Purana, one should divide one’s funds into five equal parts: One part should be used for dharm (dān etc.), second for yash (public works, which bring fame to oneself), third should be reinvested into business, fourth for kaam (enjoyment of material things), and fifth for one’s family and friends.

If one follows the above prescription, then you would end up spending about 40% of your funds on others: 20% as dān and another 20% on works for public-benefit, such as step-wells, temples, water-tanks, gardens, etc.

Forms of dān

Coming back to dān itself, Agni Puran devotes five chapters to a description of various forms of dān, their methodology and the benefits from such dān. These appear to be mainly naimittik, in the sense that the donor expects some material or spiritual benefit in the future.

The variety of dān described in these chapters is mind-boggling. So is the sheer magnificence of some of the dān prescriptions. For example, chapter 212 lists twelve types of merudān . These are:

1. Ratnameru (mound of precious stones )
2. Suvarnmeru (mound of gold)
3. Rajatmeru (mound of silver)
4. Bhoomimeru (consisting of a city, town or village)
5. Hastimeru (consisting of 12 elephants)
6. Ashwameru (consisting of 27 horses)
7. Gaumeru (consisting of 27 cows)
8. Vastrameru (consisting of one load of silk cloth)
9. Ajyameru (mound of ghee - purified butter, about 704 kilos )
10. Khandmeru (mound of sugar)
11. Dhanyameru (mound of rice)
12. Tilmeru (mound of sesame seeds)

To get an idea of the richness of such donations, let us consider the 'suvarnameru' in some detail:

The suvarnmeru should be made with 1000 pal (ancient meansure) of gold, which comes to about 62.19 kilograms of gold. It should have three peaks. Along with the suvarnmeru, 12 smaller mounds should be made. Each should be made with 100 pal gold. These will add up to another 74.63 kilograms of gold. Altogether, about 136.82 kilograms of gold will be required. At current prices, this gold will cost about 82,100,000 rupees! In return, the donor would live in Vishnulok for eternity .

Is this a flight of puranic imagination? It is difficult to say. From a logical point of view, it would make sense to specify something that was feasible . Remember also that we were all taught in school that India was once called the golden bird. This perception is now receiving support from economic historians as well. For instance, Angus Maddison has argued (The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, OECD, 2001) that at the end of the sixteenth century, Indian subcontinent generated the largest share (22.6%) of world’s GDP.

The timing of dān

When should one donate? Any time you find the right combination of a donee and place, is a good time. If you can't find the donee physically, you can make a decision (sankalp) to donate, by thinking of the donee, and pour a little water on the earth. Later the item can be delivered to the donee. If for some reason, the donee you thought of is not available, then the property can be delivered to a representative of the donee. If even this is not possible, then the item earmarked for donation should be dropped in a water body, such as a river or a reservoir.

Mostly dān should not be made at night. Some occasions are particularly auspicious and marked as such in the traditional Hindu Pancanga. These include the twelve Sankrantis, solar or lunar eclipses, akshaya triteeya , and some specific festivals, to name just a few. Of the Sankrantis, the Makar Sankranti is considered most auspicious and is widely observed.

Publicising dān

Most religions discourage their followers from talking about their charity. Hindu scriptures are no exception in this regard . What is the logic behind this? It seems that talking about one's dān would result is enhancement of social prestige (yash), and as a result, the donor would benefit. Consequently, the spiritual merit attached to the dān would get exhausted. In some cases, the donor goes to extremes to ensure that even the donee does not find out who the benefactor is .

While this makes sense from a scriptural point of view, it also means that researchers and surveyors would find it difficult to get an accurate idea of how much people donate.

Encouraging dān

As observed earlier, dān has been repeatedly praised in all Hindu scriptures, as also secular literature. In fact, dān is considered to be the only constant in all four ages. Thus, in Satyayug, Dharm has four legs to stand on: truth, kindness, tap, and dān. However, by the time Kaliyug comes, all four are weakened. Then only one option remains to earn punya. That option is dān.

This is repeatedly emphasised in several scriptures in a slightly different way. For example, Manusmriti and Mahabharat explain that the dharm of people varies from one age to anther: tapasya (penance) is best in Satyayug, gnan (true knowledge) in tretayug, and yagna (effort) in Dwapar. In Kaliyug, dān alone is best for people.

Mahabharat also contains a beautiful story called Nakulakhyan , where Yudhishthir learns how all his dān of gold and lands, may not be worth that of a fistful of sattu, given by a starving Brahmin family to an unexpected guest.

Goswami Tulsidas says something similar in Ramcharitmanas . He also adds that in kaliyug, the method of making dān is not so important. Rather, tyag or relinquishment is more important.

In Panchatantra, there is an interesting story where you are told that there are only three paths for money: dān, use for oneself, or loss. The person who neither gives it to anyone nor gives it in dān, eventually loses his wealth through the third path.

Another interesting concept is that of a dān veer (heroic donor). This is used to denote a person who is very courageous and true to his/her words in matters related to dān. Two famous examples are that of Raja Karn and Raja Bali. The former donated his life-saving armour to Shree Krishn, disguised as a Brahmin, knowing fully well that it may lead to his death. The latter promised to donate three paces of land, but ended up losing his entire kingdom to Shree Vishnu, in the avatar of Vaaman. The concept of dān veer is used as a role model to encourage giving among the people.

Scriptures such as Skand Puran and Padm Puran are not generally read by common people. However, Ramcharitmanas have considerable influence. It is recited or read in many Hindu households regularly. Mahabharat is also widely read regularly, particularly in the East. These narratives, when heard again and again, perhaps helped encourage regular practice of dān.

The utility of dān

Traditionally , Indian political wisdom lists four methods of dealing with conflict: Saam, dān, dand and bhaid (conciliation, placating with gifts, use of force, sowing dissension).

These recur again and again in various ancient political lectures. This type of dān would, of course, qualify as naimittik, i.e. one made with a purpose. Its utility is, therefore, quite clear to the donor. What about the sattvik dān, i.e. one made merely as a duty? What is the larger purpose of such dān?

There is no clear guidance on this in the scriptures, as to how dān fitted into the larger socio-economic system. One modern interpretation has been that dān was designed to keep the priestly class in clover without having to work for it. While this may have certainly happened, it is also clear that the puranas do not encourage dān to the unlearned. In some cases, there are strong strictures against giving to the unwise, even if he is of high birth. Further, Brahmins are repeatedly advised not to accumulate wealth or get used to material comforts. Also, dān to non-Brahmins is not prohibited, rather encouraged in a mild manner. This brings us back to the basic question: what was the socio-economic purpose inherent in the design of dān?

It is possible that dān was designed to ensure that the Veds and the traditions are not lost. The institution of dān allowed Brahmin scholars freedom from economic worries, and thus gave them ample time for studies. And this would have been important as study of one Ved alone could take as many as twelve years.

If this is assumed to be correct, then the institution certainly appears to have served its purpose. Indian Vedas are still available in their original form, without ever having been written down. And they have proved to be a fountainhead for enormous amount of thought for sages and intellectuals down the ages, to the present day.

References

1. 'Puranic Concept of Dana', Dr. Kala Acharya. Nag Publishers, New Delhi. 1993.

2. 'Daan: A Tradition of Giving', Sanjay Agarwal. Sampradaan, New Delhi. No. 45, Jul-Aug 2005, pp. 13-15; continued in No. 46, Annual Issue 2005, pp.15-18.

3. 'Accountability and Hindu Daan', AccountAble Issue 112, April 2005. www.AccountAid.net

4. Agni Purān: Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Illahabad, 1998

5. Danchandrika, Pandit Diwakar, Khemraj Shreekrishndas Prakashan, Mumbai,1998.

6. Geetā Prabodhini, Swami Ramsukhdas, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, 2004 (book code 1546)

7. Mahābhārat (in six parts), Maharishi Ved Vyas, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, 2001 (book code 32-37)

8. Shree Rām Charit Mānas, Goswami Tulsidas, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, 2001 (book code 82)

9. Shreemadbhāgwad Geetā, (book code 17) Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, 50th edition, Samvat 2059

10. Shreemadbhāgwat Mahāpurān, Maharishi Ved Vyas, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, 2003 (book code 26-27)

11. World Economy, The: A Millennial Perspective, Angus Maddison and Others, OECD, 2001